Houston Early Music's
2006-2007 Season
Music for the present... from the past.
World-class concerts of music from the Middle Ages through the eighteenth century performed on historical instruments and using appropriate performance styles.
[Download the Season Brochure in .PDF format]
- 29 September
- ARTEK
- 6 November
- FLANDERS RECORDER QUARTET
with SUSAN HAMILTON - 11 February
- Tapestry
- 16 March
- ENSEMBLE CAPRICE
- 20 April
- MONICA HUGGET
RICHARD SAVINO
WILLIAM SKEEN - 12 May
- EX UMBRIS
Click on concert titles below for additional information as it becomes available
ARTEK
Eine Kleine Abendmusik
Friday, September 29, 2006 at 8pmChrist the King Lutheran Church
2353 Rice Blvd.
ARTEK returns to Houston with an evening of German baroque chamber music including compositions by J.S. Bach, Buxtehude, Krieger and Erlebach. This New York-based ensemble features the virtuoso skills of violinist Robert Mealy, gambist Lisa Terry and harpsichordist/organist Gwendolyn Toth with the lustrous voice of soprano Jessica Tranzillo.
"All the performances held a listener rapt with their spirit, conviction,
and intelligence."
The New York Times
FLANDERS RECORDER QUARTET, with SUSAN HAMILTON, soprano
The Darke is My Delight -- English Music from the Reign of Elizabeth I
Monday, November 6, 2006 at 8pmTrinity Episcopal Church
1015 Holman (at Main)
Preconcert talk at 7pm―Kate Pogue, Houston actor, playwright, producer, director and author of Shakespeare's Friends.
After 1,200 plus concerts on five continents, Flanders Recorder Quartet has earned a reputation for its crystal clear ensemble playing, seemingly effortless virtuosity and its expressive interpretation. Joined by delightful Scottish soprano Susan Hamilton, the splendid Belgian ensemble performs music from the Golden Age of England―compositions by Byrd, Morley, Dowland and Ferrabasco with texts by Shakespeare and Ben Jonson.
www.flanders-recorder-quartet.be
"You can say anything about this group, except that what they play is
old music: everything lives, vibrates and bubbles, as if you were present
at a jubilant act of creation."
Réperatoire des Disques Compacts,
France
TAPESTRY
Three Weddings and a Funeral -- Music of Guillaume Du Fay
Sunday, February 11, 2007 at 4pmLocation: Trinity Episcopal Church, 1015 Holman (at Main)
NOTE *** NOTE *** NOTE
The original site for this concert has changed. The new site is Trinity Episcopal Church, 1015 Holman (at Main). The time and date (Sunday, February 11 at 4:00 pm) remain the same. See letter to subscribers.
The pageantry of the lavish 15th-century wedding is brought to life by the sublime voices of the women of Tapestry― performing the magnificent music of Guillaume Du Fay, the most renowned composer of his time. The acclaimed Boston-based trio is joined by Medieval Strings (Shira Kammen and Margriet Tindemans, vielles and Grant Herreid, voice and lute) in an intriguing selection of motets, love songs and rousing dances.
"Hypnotically beautiful....inexhaustible cornucopia of sensual pleasures"
San Diego Reader
In conjunction with the Festival of French Music,
Texan-French Alliance for the Arts and Uniquely Houston®, The Hobby
Center for the Performing Arts
ENSEMBLE CAPRICE
Les Septs Sauts -- Baroque Chamber Music at the Court of Stuttgart
Friday, March 16, 2007 at 8pmSt. Philip Presbyterian Church
4807 San Felipe
Preconcert talk at 7pm―Matthias Maute, Co-director, Ensemble Caprice
Ensemble Caprice makes its first visit to Houston with an exuberant program demonstrating the foreign influences that made music played at the Court of Stuttgart so colorful. Remarkable recorder virtuosi Matthias Maute and Sophie Larivière direct the Montreal-based ensemble of viola da gamba, harpsichord and Turkish percussion in works by Handel, Vivaldi, Couperin, Froberger and Bodino. www.ensemblecaprice.com
"….such dazzling virtuosity on the recorder leaves you in a staggering
daze!"
Le Devoir, Montreal
MONICA HUGGET, baroque violin,
RICHARD SAVINO, theorbo
WILLIAM SKEEN, baroque cello
Virtuosi d'Italia -- An El Mundo Project
Friday, April 20, 2007 at 8pmChrist Church Cathedral
1117 Texas Avenue
Note: original tickets mailed to subscribers were printed with an incorrect date. The correct date is April 20. See Letter to Subscribers
Preconcert talk at 7pm―Richard Savino
British violin virtuoso Monica Huggett and West Coast guitarist-lutenist Richard Savino―two of the world's most renowned period instrument practitioners―perform a selection of wonderfully diverse and brilliant Italian music from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The duo is joined by the brilliant young cellist William Skeen in this El Mundo project.
"Monica Huggett’s playing is impeccable"
CD Review
Hispanic Heritage Series
EX UMBRIS
Chacona: Dancing in the Shadow of the Cross
Saturday, May 12, 2007 at 8pmFirst Evangelical Lutheran Church
1311 Holman at Caroline
Preconcert talk at 7 pm―Grant Herreid of Ex Umbris
Widely recognized for unique and evocative performances of music of the Renaissance, Ex Umbris explores the rich multiculturalism of secular music of Spain from the time of the Inquisition. An ensemble of stellar artists (including Tom Zajac, Grant Herreid, Tina Chancey and Nell Snaidas) performs an exhilarating selection of songs, dances and ballads from Spain and her dominions on early strings, winds, percussion and voice.
"They played and sang with flair and flexibility.....one delightful
turn after another."
The New York Times
Recordings by artists featured by Houston Early Music are available at
Joel's Classical Shop
4010 Bissonnet St, Houston, TX 77005
Phone: (713) 665-0954
These activities are made possible in part by a grant from the City of
Houston and the Texas Commission on the Arts through the Cultural Arts Council
of Houston and Harris County
Images of artists are stock photos. Some of the performers pictured may not be present at the concert presentations.
Check back during the year for updates and program details as they become availableJoin Houston Early Music News email list for timely information about concerts and events.